Treatment of seed-grain.



@TATEd PATENT @l ll lflhl HENRY ERNEST FRY, OF GODMANSTONE, DORCHESTER, ENGLAND, ASSIGNOR T0 CHARLES EDWARD DE /VOLF, OF LONDON, ENGLAND.

TREATMENT OF SEEJUGRAIN.

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Lilhlidlblil. f lo iilrawing.

To all whom it may concern lie it known that 1, Honor i'flnuns'r FRY, a subject of the King of Great Britain, rcsiding at Godmanstone, Dorchester, Dorset, ling-land, have invented new and useful luv prorements in the 'lreatment oi. heed-Grain, o l which the :lollowing is a specification.

no object of this invention is the treatllitlil' o't' seed-grain more particularly the cereals and cotton seed (hereinafter called ""rainl before being sown by an electro- .llllCZtl process in order to render them more productive.

according to this invention the grain is placed in a solution of a chemical or organic manure through which a current of electricity is passed.

llome inanures are insoluble in. or partly insoluble in water, in which cases they are lurid. in suspension in the water. but for the proposes oi? this specification such mixtures called solutions.

The treatment is "varied according to the kind of grain which is treated.

it is preferred to use a solution coutaining ten per cent. of nitrate oil soda or sul i'ate of ammonia With four hours treatment for Wheat and barley, live hours for oats, and six hours for maize and cotton seed.

A. low tension direct current :l'rom a secondary battery (or other source of eleotricity Which can yield a steady and continuous supply) of one half ampere at the lowest voltage which is necessary to carry the current through the solutions is prelierably used.

A combination of solutions may be employed the best results being obtained when the solutions are nitrogenous.

With some grain especially maize and cottonseed, a ten per cent. solution of nitric acid may be used,

A convenient mode of applying the process is to place a solution and the grain in a rectangular Water tight tank made of Wood or other suitable material, at the ends of which, Walls are built up about one and a half or two inches thick, composed of small pieces of sifted carbon or Well burnt coke, with narrow carbon plates embedded therein having terminals attached thereto.

specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed October 10, 1913.

Patented ring. at. 191th Sammie-7942,5115.

llach oi" these walls is preferably faced with a sheet or celluloid, perforated with as many quarter inch holes as possible and supported by a wood frame. These carbon walls, one

"plilbli the solution drawn oil :iroin the tank, and the grain is removed and spread in a '{lllll layer on a. suitable floor. for the purpose oi? helm}; sullu-lently dried 'lor sowing. The dryi'u is expedited by turning the pram over iln'ee or tour times per day.

wcaiher, the grain thus dried is ready for sowing after two or three days. In damp Weather an extra day may be needed.

ll hen large quantities of grain are dealt with. mechanical appliances may be used to ell'ect and hasten the drying" by means of currents of air. but artificial heat for that purpose and also direct sunshine should be avoided, otherwise the grain may sprout before being sown and the germs destroyed.

The grain treated should be sound. and of fair quality, especially in the case of Wheat, and should be sown as soon as possible, after treatment.

The land on which the gain is sown should be manured and prepared as is customary for ordinary seed grain.

What I claim is 1. The process of treating grain consisting; oi placing the grain in a solution of a manure and passingan electric current through the solution substantially as described.

2. The process of treating grain consisting of placing the grain in a solution of nitric acid and passing an electric current through the solution substantially as do scribed.

HENRY ERNEST FRY.

Witnesses: I

CHARLES F. De Wow, 0. J. -W'omrr. 

